he never thought he'd walk down this path again
last time he was here, there were vines trying to attack him
and dreadful creatures came out to bite and thrash
but he knocked them away, the violent relentlessness
attempting him back back back, to flee, to not be here, unbeknownst
to his striking, his passion urging him on through the obstacles
which made their trouble and games right in his face
so he beat them till they stayed down
he beat them till they begged

then he moved on with his life and trudged down the path again
this was long ago, he thought, and surely he was better now
nowadays the path stayed clear of those nightmares he witnessed
hitherto, yet now the placid waters seem weary, if he were dreaming,
no one knew
beforehand, there was no way one could see what was in front of them
he remembered looking up, scouting the area with his eyes but coming up short
with only the haze of green which covered the whole place,
left residue in the corner of his eyes, making sure he knew

he stepped in places thick of loathing that wished him gone
trudging through the mess of the forest, the foliage ripping away
at his clothes and his skin, showing the sin which laid beneath
there was nothing in sight that could be used as a waypoint
yet now, as he crossed the polished stones which lined the path,
ones not implemented in the early days when he'd been here before,
there was a fountain bursting with water, harmonizing into dancing fire
as the sun peaked through the encompassing forest to shine upon it
he wiped his eyes, then looked again, and there it still was
was it always there? he thought, and that was something he couldn't tell

but he could speculate, and as he walked, he reminisced, watching the leaves
pass in the wind as though they followed it and it alone, a backdrop for thought
in the past, it mustn't've existed, the fountain sprouting from the middle
of the dirt and mud, because he'd encountered this very clearing
although then, the sun did not sever through the leaves with its imminent rays
passing the fountain, he laid a finger on it, to see if it was real
by golly, he thought, the sensation of slick stone rupturing beneath his fingertips
it's changed, the whole place, everything about it has shifted
he looked around him, at the trees folding inward to face the ethereal masterpiece
then at the sun directly, though the interval only must've lasted a second or two

this was real, he thought dourly, then turned his head down
from the burning ball of light in the sky, blinding dangerously as it always did
there beyond the fountain the path went on, and he followed it
deviating from it always took some effort, especially when he spotted something
far in the distance to investigate
he wanted to go see what it was personally, to touch it, and he always did, despite the gravitational pull which eternally jerked him back

he examined flowers of unique shapes and of colors he'd never seen so varied
petals were abundant, overflowing on every single flower he picked up
each time he plucked one from the ground, a slight shriek pierced his ears
and all of a sudden, he knew where he was again, and how it used to be
how every time he wandered through here, there was an issue waiting to be
triggered
so when he collected a few that look extraordinary, glowing like the stars
burning brighter than those weaker lights among them
he went back to the path, his journey back didn't take as long
in fact, it sped by faster than his whole venture through this wretched forest
because now he roamed the path, eternally looking forward and up at his destination

she wasn't there before, he knew this, she had appeared when he was off doing his own thing
but her smoldering beauty existed in such proximity to him, tantalizing and teasing features
goading him forward, to give him the time of his life if he simply came forward and became hers
her wicked smirk was ingrained in his head, like the brand of a cow,
a painful sight and a painful sensation, coalescing into one
and when he came closer, he sidestepped her,
she reached out for him, her hands like talons, snatching at him
but he kept going down the path
she was a distraction, he thought, smiling to himself
she's probably looking at me now, trying to gain my attention, like she always does
but not today, and he chuckled to himself, lowly so she wouldn't hear

he roamed the path for more years after this
he didn't plan it, oh no, and there wasn't much food for him to survive
but he began to eat the flowers -- they had a weird taste to them but they were okay
he wanted out, but there was no out, it had disappeared as soon as he came in
he knew he shouldn't have come in, no, everyone had told him otherwise
assuming himself a man, an adult wasn't enough, because by the end, he'd entered anyways
now it became much, much harder for him to stray, eating the flowers he had on him always
seemed better than venturing out to get more, it hurt him every time, like piercing sharp pains
digging into his gut, going farther would lead to worse sensations, and oh no please, no more,
he whined, and begged, and pleaded, he had thought himself brave to lead his own journey
yet he'd gotten himself trapped, so very trapped, how could he? i did this to myself, he thought
there's nothing left, i have nothing left, and then and there he collapsed on the ground
no more flowers, he thought as he checked his pockets, groaning, "oh, please oh please"